Gould, John (1804-1881), a British ornithologist, produced illustrated books on birds from every part of the world. Gould was born in Dorset, England. He began work as a gardener and later became a taxidermist with the Zoological Society of London. Working with bird skins received from the Himalaya, he wrote A Century of Birds from the Himalaya Mountains (1831-1832). Gould visited Australia from 1838 to 1840. With the paintings of birds made by his wife, Elizabeth, Gould completed The Birds of Australia, published in seven volumes, in 1848. It became his most famous work.